“UIndy Night Live” ran Feb. 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. in the Studio Theatre, and with acts ranging from singing to stand-up, this night was a diverse show of talents.
The event had two organizers, General Manager of UIndy TV and WICR Rick Dunkle and Assistant Director Professor Dr. Grant Williams. Dunkle discussed some of the acts— both live and filmed, that were going to be taking place.
“The [Ace-It Book Bundle] was all the talk this year, something new that maybe didn’t have the best launch,” Dunkle said. “People talked about that, so we made a satirical commentary on it and a rather funny one. It’s not personal. We were truly looking for things that were in the zeitgeist of what people talked about this year, and that was one of them.”
Both Dunkle and Williams spoke about other highlights of the show, including a particularly dark travel agent, Glinda the Good and Grady III, as well as the many talented performers that make up the majority of what the audience saw on stage. Dunckle stressed the importance of many groups behind the scenes collaborating.
The Experiential Television class and the Experiential Theater class collaborated as the production combined elements of both theater and TV. Williams referred to the production as “bringing what each of us does separately on campus into one event.”
Both Dunkle and Williams were adamant that “UIndy Night Live” will return in the coming years, hopefully growing more like the real “Saturday Night Live” with time. Williams said that because they now have experience filming and streaming content, next year’s production will be easier.
“I hope we get to the point where, like on Saturday Night Live, we can bring out different set pieces, drop an anchor desk in and have that live audience while we are filming it so we are getting the laughs as we are doing the newscast,” Dunkle said. “We didn’t have an audience, and that’s the missing component. But as far as UIndy Night Live and future collaborations between theater and media, we hope the more the merrier, because it’s just such a natural fit and it gives people a different experience.”
